interest

noun

in·ter·est | \ ˈin-t(ə-)rəst

; ˈin-tə-ˌrest, -ˌtrest; ˈin-tərst \

Essential Meaning of interest

1 : a feeling of wanting to learn more about something or to be involved in something She told us about her lifelong interest in music. I have no interest in politics. [=I am not interested in politics] See More ExamplesThe kids listened to the speaker for a little while, but then lost interest. The speaker wasn't able to hold/keep their interest. I've been following his career with (great) interest. She took/had an active interest in the political debate. He expressed/showed an interest in learning more about photography.Hide

2 : a quality that attracts your attention and makes you want to learn more about something or to be involved in something The stories about his personal life add interest to the book. He looked through the available magazines, but found nothing of interest. [=nothing interesting] See More ExamplesI thought this article might be of interest to you. We visited many places of interest on our vacation. The price of the ticket was a matter of interest to everyone. a story that has human interest = a human-interest story [=a story that is interesting because it involves the experiences of real people]Hide

3 : something (such as a hobby) that a person enjoys learning about or doing Music is one of her many interests. She has a number of outside interests. [=things that she enjoys doing when she is not working]

Full Definition of interest

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a feeling that accompanies or causes special attention to something or someone : concern

b : something or someone that arouses such attention

c : a quality in a thing or person arousing interest

2 : advantage, benefit also : self-interest

3a : a charge for borrowed money generally a percentage of the amount borrowed

b : the profit in goods or money that is made on invested capital

c : an excess above what is due or expected returned the insults with interest

4a(1) : right, title, or legal share in something

(2) : participation in advantage and responsibility

b : business, company

5 : special interest

interest

verb

interested; interesting; interests

Definition of interest (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to engage the attention or arouse the interest of

2 : to induce or persuade to participate or engage

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About interest

Examples of interest in a Sentence

Noun She told us about her lifelong interest in music. The kids listened to the speaker for a little while, but then lost interest. The speaker wasn't able to hold their interest. She took an active interest in the political debate. He expressed an interest in learning more about photography. The stories about his personal life add interest to the book. I thought this article might be of interest to you. We visited many places of interest on our vacation. The price of the ticket was a matter of interest to everyone. Music is one of her many interests. Verb Military history doesn't really interest me. It might interest you to know that the woman in this photograph is your great-grandmother. It interested me to learn that she had once lived in California. The salesman tried to interest me in a more expensive computer.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The other subscriber base that the Wine Advocate — indeed, all of Michelin — would like to reach is in Asia, where there's booming interest in fine wine. — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2021 The labor board was expected to hold a hearing to determine whether there was sufficient interest to form a union there but less than two weeks earlier, the group led by Smalls withdrew its petition. — Anne D'innocenzio, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Nov. 2021 Because many of these foods are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, especially when combined, there has been some interest in whether the diet is helpful for psoriasis. — Sara Gaynes Levy, SELF, 29 Nov. 2021 The labor board was expected to hold a hearing to determine whether there was sufficient interest to form a union there but less than two weeks earlier, the group led by Smalls withdrew its petition. — Anne D'innocenzio, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2021 With Lamont coming to office and new people elected, there’s been more interest. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, 28 Nov. 2021 But the discussion at the summit’s edges showed that there is a growing interest in actually addressing agriculture’s climate footprint, and technology is often at the forefront of this conversation. — Jan Dutkiewicz, Wired, 27 Nov. 2021 Catherine’s interest in vaccination was part of her broader desire to spread Enlightenment ideals, wrote Meilan Solly for Smithsonian magazine last year. — Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Nov. 2021 OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder‘s interest in evolving technology is well-documented (see his recent interview with Variety about moving into the NFT space). — Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb To begin with, influencers often post about a range of topics that interest them. — Yec, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021 The patterns of human relations never cease to interest him. — D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021 The tech would need to be stylish and minimal enough to interest more people and sophisticated enough to work seamlessly. — Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2021 The Twins are also trying to interest some of those suitors in a less costly alternative — Michael Pineda — as the scramble for championship-caliber upgrades intensifies. — Phil Miller, Star Tribune, 29 July 2021 Seeking to interest those who indulge in sports, there will be various numbers of tickets given out for games of Seattle’s Mariners, Sounders, Storm, Seahawks, Kraken, and Tacoma’s OL Reign. — Joseph O'sullivan, Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2021 Its owner and developer, Mike Mouron, the chairman emeritus of Capstone Development Partners, had originally been trying to interest another buyer in the property. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 27 Apr. 2021 Cafe employees to interest them in applying for jobs. — Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2021 His co-workers shared the same taste in music and would bond over concerts and other things that did not interest him. — Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About interest

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Last Updated

4 Dec 2021

Cite this Entry

“Interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interest. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

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More Definitions for interest

interest

noun

in·ter·est | \ ˈin-trəst

, ˈin-tə-rəst \

Kids Definition of interest

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a feeling of concern or curiosity about or desire to be involved with something an interest in music We lost interest in the game.

2 : a quality that makes something more appealing or interesting Personal stories add interest to the book.

3 : something that a person enjoys learning about or doing Sports is one of his many interests.

4 : something that provides help or benefit to a person or group It's in your interest to study.

5 : the money paid by a borrower for the use of borrowed money

6 : the profit made on money that is invested

7 : a right, title, or legal share in something They bought out his interest in the company.

8 interests plural : a group financially interested in an industry or business mining interests

interest

verb

interested; interesting

Kids Definition of interest (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to persuade to become involved in Can I interest you in joining us?

2 : to arouse and hold the concern, curiosity, or attention of This movie doesn't interest me.

interest

noun

in·ter·est | \ ˈin-trəst; ˈin-tə-rəst, -ˌrest

Legal Definition of interest

1 : a right, title, claim, or share in property

— Article Nine security interest

: security interest in this entry

— beneficial interest

: the right to the use and benefit of property a beneficial interest in the trust

— contingent interest

: a future interest whose vesting is dependent upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a future event — compare vested interest in this entry

— controlling interest

: sufficient stock ownership in a corporation to exert control over policy

— equitable interest

: an interest (as a beneficial interest) that is held by virtue of equitable title or that may be claimed on the ground of equitable relief claimed an equitable interest in the debtor's assets

— executory interest

: a future interest other than a remainder or reversion that may take effect upon the divesting of a prior interest or one created simultaneously

Note: Unlike a remainder, an executory interest does not require the expiration of a prior interest. It was designed to guard against the destructibility of contingent remainders set forth in the rule in Shelley's case.

— expectation interest

: the interest of a party to a breached contract in receiving the benefit of the bargain by being put in a position as good as that which would have resulted had the contract been performed

— called also expectancy interest

— compare reliance interest in this entry

— future interest

: an interest in property limited or created so that its owner will come into the use, possession, or enjoyment of it at some future time — see also contingent interest and executory interest in this entry — compare remainder, reversion

— insurable interest

: an interest or stake in property or in a person that arises from the potential for especially financial loss upon the destruction of the property or the death of the person and that is a requirement for enforcing an insurance contract

Note: The purpose of requiring an insurable interest is to prevent the use of insurance as a form of gambling or as a method of profiting from destruction.

— legal interest

: an interest that is recognized in law (as by legal title) — compare equitable interest in this entry, legal title at title

— life interest

: an interest lasting for the duration of a person's life that forecloses the ability to affect the property beyond that term — compare life estate at estate sense 1

— possessory interest

: an interest (as a right) involving or arising out of the possession of property

Note: A possessory interest is based on control rather than use. Thus a lessee who occupies and controls the use of property has a possessory interest, while a party who has an easement does not.

— purchase money security interest

1 : the security interest held by the seller of collateral to secure payment of all or part of the price

2 : the security interest of a person that gives value to a debtor so that the debtor may acquire rights in or the use of collateral

— reliance interest

: the interest of a party to a breached contract in being compensated for detriments suffered (as expenses incurred) in reliance on the agreement — compare expectation interest in this entry

— reversionary interest

: an interest in property (as a possibility of reverter or a power of termination) remaining in the transferor of the property or in his or her successor in interest

— security interest

1 : an interest in property that exists by contract as security for payment or performance of an obligation the security interest of a mortgagee in the mortgaged property also : lien

Note: While a lien may be created by statutory or judicial means without any agreement providing for security (as in the case of a tax lien or judgment lien), a security interest and lien may inhere in the same claim, as when a mortgage comprises both a lien on and security interest in the mortgaged property.

2 : an interest in personal property or fixtures created by a security agreement that secures payment or performance of an obligation the creditor had a security interest in the inventory and accounts receivable of the business

— called also Article Nine security interest

— see also attach sense 3, collateral sense 2, perfect entry 2 sense b, purchase money security interest in this entry

Note: Security interests in personal property are governed by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The security interest set out in Article 9 largely replaces the traditional devices for security, such as the pledge and chattel mortgage. A security interest in property that has attached enables a creditor to obtain satisfaction of a debt out of the property without the need to obtain a judgment in court and levy on the property. Further, it provides the creditor with priority over competing claims against the property.

— terminable interest

: an interest (as in a life estate) that will terminate upon the occurrence of an event or the passing of time

— vested interest

: a present and certain right to the present or future enjoyment of property — compare contingent interest in this entry

— working interest

: the interest of a party that holds the right to oil, gas, or minerals on a property and that bears production costs — see also overriding royalty

2 : a specific concern or level of involvement (as financial involvement) especially that warrants recognition or causes bias had a right to intervene because of an interest in the litigation recused himself due to an interest in the matter — see also conflict of interest

3 : something that causes or warrants particular attention: as

a : a principle, purpose, or object of concern

— compelling state interest

: a governmental interest (as in educating children or protecting the public) which is so important that it outweighs individual rights

— public interest

1a : the general welfare and rights of the public that are to be recognized, protected, and advanced the attorney general has standing as a representative of the public interest

b : a specific public benefit or stake in something the public interest in controlling crime

2 : the concern or attention of the public a matter of widespread public interest

b : a right especially that arises from a constitution (as the U.S. Constitution) especially : such a right considered as an issue or claim created in or involving a particular situation or thing no person will be deprived of his interests in the absence of a proceeding in which he may present his case — Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc., 446 U.S. 238 (1980)

— liberty interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of liberty especially without due process the liberty interest implicated by the needless discouragement of the exercise of the right to counsel — State v. Albert, 899 P.2d 103 (1995) (dissent)

— privacy interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental intrusion into matters in which one has a reasonable expectation of privacy we have no privacy interest protected by the federal Constitution in limiting public or government access to knowledge of our financial transactions— L. H. Tribe

— property interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of property and sources of financial gain (as employment or a government benefit) without due process broadly : something (as a job or benefit) to which one has a legitimate claim of entitlement and that cannot be taken away without due process as distinguished from the unprotected object of a need, desire, or expectation

4 : the well-being of a person —often used in pl. does not serve the child's best interests

5 : a charge for the use of another's money that is usually a percentage of the money being used an account yielding 7% interest paid back the loan with interest

— compound interest

: interest computed on the sum of the original principal and accrued interest

— legal interest

: a lawful interest rate and especially the highest rate allowed proposals to increase the legal interest on department store credit cards to 15% — American Banker also : interest computed at such a rate awarded the defendant legal interest — compare usury

— qualified residence interest

: interest that is deductible from adjusted gross income under federal tax law when it is paid on debt that is secured by one's residence and that was incurred for the acquisition, construction, improvement, or refinancing of the residence or through a home equity loan

— simple interest

: interest computed on the principal of a loan or account